If It Could Have Been DIfferent
by ST8
Summary: The final battle between Naruto and Madara's forces comes to a close, but at what cost? Naruto is thrust back in time by a combination Kamui after unleashing his true power and imprisoning the Juubi. Uber!Naruto, but not too far beyond the believable according to manga plot progression. TimeTravel, pairings not revealed. NOT HAREM. Rated T for safety.


Hello all,

I've had this idea floating around in my head for quite a while now. I will be slow on updates (exam season, after all), but please read, enjoy and review. I will appreciate all I hear back, and moreover I hope you all enjoy this man's humble first fanfic.

Disclaimer: Nope, not Kishimoto, sorry. Naruto is his stuff. If it was mine, I wouldn't need to be going to school...

**Prologue**

Tumultuous blue eyes surveyed the razed landscape, marvelling at the destruction he had helped to wreak. On his right, the unmoving corpse of Haruno Sakura lay. She had been mercilessly destroyed along with over half of the Allied Shinobi Forces by one of the revived Juubi's bijudama. His squad leader, Hatake Kakashi, was almost recognizable past the coating of blood he was covered in, shed when he was impaled by one of Tobi -_'no, Obito. Tobito? Obitobi?'- _Obito's Mokuton jutsu. Even Bee had been struck down, despite Gyuuki's best efforts to maintain him. Craters dotted the earth, rivalled in number only by the droves of allied shinobi bodies littered randomly as if eviscerated by the rage of a mad god. _'Although,' _Uzumaki Naruto noted somewhat sardonically, _'he is probably the closest a shinobi can get to one. Sakura-chan, Kaka-sensei, Bee-san, Hatt-san... I'm not sure what to do...'_

Standing across from him in all of its glorious might was the reanimated Juubi, encased in the shell provided by the Gedo Mazo. Perched on its head was none other than Uchiha Madara, unequivocally the most powerful shinobi Naruto had ever faced. At the feet of the Juubi was Uchiha Obito, henchman of the mad, godly Uchiha. Naruto himself was not alone; standing proudly next to him was a kage bunshin taken over by Kurama, who was quickly becoming his most trusted partner and friend. Kurama was maintaining the full biju transformation, making it seem as though the battle was between Juubi, Madara and Obito, and Naruto and Kurama.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto noted the dire nature of his situation. Knowing Obito's past firsthand from Kakashi, he could understand the man's desire for a forced peace. After all, there was less risk involved in forcing peace than there was in truly creating it. There was, however, nothing he could feasibly do about that particular problem at the moment, being quite occupied with his current situation.

"Dammit, how do we get into these situations, Kurama?" It did, honestly, seem as though the blue eyed warrior had never experienced an ounce of luck in his life. Ostracized from birth, abandoned by his best friend, having his village, and then everyone he knew destroyed...

Kurama smirked down at him. **"We've never had it easy, gaki. Makes no sense to have the good times start now. Continue to do what you've done all your life, and show the world what you can do with your actions!" **

Reinvigorated, Naruto grinned up at the enormous chakra representation of his closest ally. "Thank, Kurama, we can get through this together." _'But what is there left after that? Everyone is gone.'_

From his position atop the Juubi, Madara addressed the young Uzumaki. "Naruto," he spoke, his words carried powerfully through the wind, "Just let it happen. They can all be back, if you just willfully allow Infinite Tsukuyomi. The world will be exactly as you want it."

Honestly, it was tempting. But giving in meant dooming the biju, who had put their trust in him, to an eternity of subjugation. That was simply not alright. Sensing his thoughts, Kurama looked down at him. _**'So your, and forced to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders. Facing an enemy too great for the five kage, a nigh untouchable monster, and the Juubi itself.'**_

In his mindscape, Naruto looked to Kurama. "That is not okay, we will not lose this battle. We can't. Not when so much is riding on it."

Kurama simply chuckled and held his massive paw out in a fist. **"We can tell the world that we faced down an ultimate, all powerful force in the shinobi world and lived to tell the tale. What a yarn for the grandkids, eh gaki?" **

Naruto bumped his fist with Kurama's enormous one, and both felt reinvigorated at the simple contact. Refocusing on the battlefield, he noticed that something was off. _'Madara and Juubi are still there, but Obito has vanished. That can only mean...'_

Flipping a kunai out of his pouch and enhancing it with wind-nature chakra, Naruto summoned the cloak of his biju mode and adopted a defensive position. _'He could literally be anywhere, damned Jikukan ninjustu.' _

Naruto suddenly whirled to the right, coming face to face with... absolutely nothing. "It's over," the cold voice of Obito sounded from behind him.

_'Fuck!'_

He attempted to turn around, but it was too late. He felt a tug similar to Nagato's Bansho Tenin, undoubtedly Obito's space-time ninjutsu beginning to take him in. '_I guess it's over, neh, Kurama. What an anticlimactic ending.' _Suddenly the feeling halted, and Obito jumped back, scowling at something somewhere behind Naruto. Embedded in the ground next to him was a colossal arrow, burning with black flame.

_'An arrow? No, not just an arrow, it has Amaterasu on it. That means...' _As the blond jinchuuriki turned his head, swirling purple chakra began to fill his vision. Standing before him was Susano'o, firmly formed around one Uchiha Sasuke. Said comrade-turned-mortal enemy turned and smirked at him.

"Oi, dobe. Looks like you could use some help."

Naruto frowned. "What happened to 'I will destroy Konoha and everyone in it,' teme?"

Sasuke's face became frightening, a dark look falling over his eyes and is smirk transforming into a scowl. He gestured around him, growling. "Can't anymore, now, can I? That bastard," he intoned, indicating Madara, "stole my revenge. I wanted to destroy Konoha, and he destroys the entire fucking world. If I destroy him, I take revenge for him taking my revenge, and also become, by proxy, the most powerful shinobi in the world!" At this point all semblance of sanity left the young Uchiha scion's face, an inane grin occupying his pale face. "I am an avenger! Vengeance will be mine!" He drew back the bow of Susano'o and fired an arrow covered with the black flames of his Amaterasu at the Juubi. The resulting lack of any appreciable effect left him stunned.

"Yeah, that's how we felt when a combined Hachibi/Kyuubi bijudama did absolutely noting." Sasuke's mouth fell open at that bit of information. How in the hell were they to deal with this type of monster? His Susano'o fell around him, and he dashed to stand side by side with his former -_'no, still'_- best friend.

"Dobe, what do we do?"

"I don't know, teme. Why don't we try combining my Fuuton: Rasenshuriken, your Susano'o arrows, and Kurama's bijudama?" He smirked. "Enough damage to even Nagato's Chibaku Tensei destroyed it, and that is the attack said to have entrapped the full-powered Juubi in the first place. This Juubi does not have the full power of Hatt-san nor Kurama in it, so it must be weakened."

Sasuke grimaced, but nodded. "We have no other choice. Kurama is the fox, I take it?"

The chakra-enshrouded Kurama-clone glared down at the Uchiha. **"That's Kurama-sama to you, Uchiha brat. I knew you would never come to your sense, but at least you have lost it in a **_**good**_** way this time."**

Sasuke scowled, then started. Obito was suddenly standing amongst them.

"Enough talk, brats. Mokuton!" Obito clapped his hands together, and dozens of roots rose from the ground, attempting to ensnare, pierce, maim, or kill any of their master's enemies. Kurama batted the attack away with ease, taking a swipe at the annoying Uchiha for good measure. Naruto, enshrouded in the Kudos Sennin-like cloak of his biju mode, easily sped away from the attack, while Sasuke summoned Susano'o to fend off the attack. Suddenly, all three felt an influx of chakra approaching at high speeds.

"**Juubi is firing!" **Kurama roared, moving with speed belying the size of his form. Naruto and Sasuke similarly avoided the attack. Sasuke's eyes were wide, the strange, six-pointed shuriken of his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan shaking madly.

"This is what we are dealing with...? What power."

Naruto grinned. "Teme, meet Juubi, initial enemy of the legendary Rikudo Sennin and amalgam of seven and a bit biju. We're not screwed, I swear." e glanced at the opposing side, who seemed to be recharging. "Let's attack now, while they are less... active."

Faster than any could expect, the three attack were upon the Juubi, who simply remained standing where it was. Not one of the attack left a mark, rather being absorbed into the mouth of the Gedo Mazo.

"Dammit, that was the best we had." Naruto punched the ground, hard. Things were finally looking up, what with Sasuke returning to fight with him, but now it all looked to be for naught. Next to him, the full biju-mode Kurama faded.

"**Kid, we've hit the time limit again. This might be it."**

Sasuke was on his knees, running low on chakra. The golden blond raised his head, only to see an oncoming bijudama, at least thrice the diameter of the last few.

"Sasuke, Kurama... I think this is it." The Kurama clone puffed into a cloud of smoke, and Sasuke looked on disbelieving.

"But... my revenge..."

Naruto gritted his teeth _'been doing that a lot lately'_ and simply watched helplessly as his end approached. Suddenly, he felt a tug at the back of his mind and his vision went dark.

**-Mindscape-**

Naruto looked around, utterly confused. He looked to Kurama, who simply shrugged as if to acquit himself. **"Not me."**

"Then who...?"

"Me," a deep, powerful voice called from behind. A voice Naruto had heard once before. His eyes widened as he turned to find himself facing his father, the Yondaime Hokage.

"Yo, musuko." The taller blond beamed radiantly, and Naruto suddenly felt at ease. "I see the Kyuubi is out of his cage, and rather tame at that. You've mastered his power _and _befriended him?"

Naruto scowled. "His name is Kurama, tou-san. And we're friends, now." He smirked to Kurama and held out a fist, who barked out a laugh and touched his massive fist to that of his young host. "You already came back to restore the seal, and told me that was the only chakra you had left to me. How are you here?" Naruto was honestly confused.

Smiling, Minato shook his head calmly. "You forever surpass my expectations. First, your Fuuton: Rasenshuriken, now befriending one of the most powerful beings in the shinobi world." Here he winked at Kurama, who simply turned away from the infuriating blond. "But to answer your question, the failsafe was the only remnant of my chakra meant to appear to you. This chakra, the last vestiges of my essence bound to you, was the ultimate last resort.."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Okay, tou-san, but why? You couldn't have possibly foreseen... _this._"

The elder blond chuckled, shaking his head to confirm his son's words. "While I did not see the sheer scale of what is happening, I did see a threat to peace. We did, after all, share the same master."

Naruto nodded. "So..."

"Yes, peace was also my goal. I saw the appearance of the masked man as a direct threat to peace. As you know, I equipped you with Kurama here because I knew you would be the one to defend the shinobi world from cataclysm. I did not, however, leave you with nothing else. My _soul—_that is to say, my personality, intelligence, talent, dreams,will, what have you- are sealed still in the Shinigami. However, what I have managed to leave you is my _knowledge_. My expertise and abilities. This was a last case scenario, only to be used if the world was literally coming to an end. Which I guess, it is."

Once again, Naruto was dumbfounded. "But, then why did you wait until now? Wouldn't you give me your techniques from, like, day one? Hiraishin would have been a great tool since ever. And it would still be great, though my symbiosis with Kurama makes me fast enough to rival Hiraishin anyway..."

"**Brat, we are better than that dinky knife trick." **Kurama sneered at Minato. While the man had done him a 'favour' by sealing him into Naruto, he still didn't like the bastard Hokage.

Not missing a beat, Minato continued. "I wanted you to become strong on your own, as I did before you." He smiled down at his son. "And you have. I could not be more proud. Nobody should ride their parents coattails to glory, seems too much like an Uchiha thing to do" Then, smirking, he glanced at Kurama. "While that may be true, I did have a few more abilities than Hiraishin. I was, after all, the second most feared of the Hokage." He paused to poke his son's forehead. "I don't have much time left. You won't be able to instantly integrate all of my knowledge and become a seal master, that would be a bit ridiculous. That will take meditation and revision, then you can go about making your own seals. What you will be able to do is use a few of my pre-existing abilities, such as Hiraishin and its variants, a few Fuuton and Raiton jutsu, and a few extra tricks with Rasengan."

"Thank you, tou-san." Naruto was tearing up. As Minato removed his fingers from his son's head, Naruto tackled the man in a hug. Minato laughed, and slowly disappeared in the embrace of his son. The young blond blinked, memories and experiences not entirely his integrating into his mind. He knew now _exactly _what to do.

Kurama roared with laughter, an intimidating sound. **"Go, gaki! Do what you must!"**

**-Exit Mindscape-**

Azure eyes flashed open, a three-pronged kunai appearing held between his hands, which had each finger splayed as if to catch something. "Jikukan Kekkai," he stated, his tone soft and commanding. The great bijudama simply _stopped_, being absorbed into a strange subspace dimension. Naruto felt the power bursting within his seal, so quickly made a seal-less kage bunshin. Said clone immediately threw another Hiraishin kunai onto the battlefield, near Madara's group. Obito's eyes widened as he saw the tool. "That's..."

Suddenly, a rift appeared facing the two rogue Uchiha and the Juubi. From it burst the previously contained bijudama, tearing through the earth and obscuring the battlefield.

Sasuke gawked at his friend. _'What in the...' _The dust surrounding the Juubi cleared, revealing a relatively unharmed Madara standing atop a mutilated Juubi.

Madara glared furiously at the blond Konoha nin. He had taken immense damage, which was quickly repaired by his less-than-living nature. The Gedo Mazo, serving as the host for the incomplete Juubi, had not been so lucky and had sustained incredible damage by its own technique. The blast radius was large enough that there was no chance of dodging; it was, after all, meant to end the speedy Kurama/Naruto duo.

Suddenly, space shifted behind Naruto and Obito appeared. "DAMN BRAT!" he roared, aiming to pierce him with a sharp root.

Naruto paled; there was no way for him to dodge after using such an exhausting technique. All he saw was a blur of movement, and the feeling of something wet splashed on his face. _'Blood,' _he idly noted. He studied his decidedly un-pierced body, then looked ahead of him to see the man he considered a brother impaled upon the Mokuton jutsu meant for him.

"Why... Sasuke?"

A grin. Not psychotic like the others, just a sincere grin. "My body... it moved on its own, urusatonkachi. My revenge is done, and I have nothing left to live for. You, on the other hand..." He coughed, blood splattering from his penetrated lung, "have much left to do. It's all I could do. Live on, dobe. Beat this guy. Then, I will have saved you, who defeat him, who stole my revenge." More coughing. "Who am I kidding. I learned my mistakes from Itachi, when Kabuto revived him. I don't care about revenge anymore, just please forgive me... Naruto."

Watching his brother, and the last link to his old village, die before him was too much for Naruto. Tears poured freely from his eyes, a pressure like none he had ever felt building strongly behind them. "BASTARD!" He roared to the heavens, and a mixture of blue, golden and purple chakra burst from him. The chakra slowly coalesced around his form, enshrouding him in the Rikudo Sennin cloak of his biju mode. He felt nature chakra flowing through him as well, effectively combining his two ultimate forms. Held in each of his hands was a three-pronged kunai, each bursting with the golden chakra of his biju cloak, and enshrouded in Naruto's own wind-nature chakra. And finally, his eyes were a dull purple colour, with small pupils surrounded by concentric rings.

_**'Kid, I knew it. The old man was talking about you, you really are the one. I feel honoured to have met you.' **_Kurama smiled a sincere smile, fuelling Naruto's final Rikudo mode. **"Break some hell, kid."**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx**

Obito gaped and cursed his luck. _'Rinnegan... but how?' _

From atop the shambling Juubi, Madara himself cursed. _'This battle... its over, unless we get rid of him fast. My Rinnegan will no doubt be crushed by his own, reincarnate of the Sennin as he appears to be. Obito's Kamui is about the only thing left that can take care of a Rikudo Sennin incarnate, but he could possibly escape from even that.' _He grit his teeth. _'If we could get him with a combined Kamui and another Jikukan jutsu, the instability may be enough to destroy him, or send him far, far away at the very least. I could use my Kamui as well... though I am oath to admit, it is nowhere near as developed as Obito's.'_

Meanwhile, Naruto knew exactly what to do with the animated Gedo Mazo. He clapped his hands together, focussing his potent chakra into an infinitesimal point. Feeling the point become dense, he released it, feeling its massive pull as he maintained it. "CHIBAKU TENSEI!"

"SHIT!" Obito warped himself back to Madara, seeking instruction. "Madara-sama..."

"It's alright, Obito. This actually provides us with a reasonable opportunity. Once he captures the Gedo Mazo, he will jump up to his construct in order to separate the biju chakra from the Mazo. Once he does, we will both use our Kamui on him, simultaneously. If done correctly, he should be shorn to bits, or at least deposited in a world beyond our comprehension, much less our care."

Obito nodded. "My lord..." Both Uchiha abandoned the quickly ascending Mazo, and found cover in Obito's Kamui world. The Juubi let out one last roar before it was sealed within a sphere of rock that was quickly growing in size so as to resemble a small moon. Naruto clenched his hands tightly together, and the rock compressed in response. Satisfied, he knew that he next had to use his Ningendo and Gakido to tear the souls and chakra of the biju from the Gedo Mazo. '_Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei...' _

"**Go, gaki. They'll all be proud, and I'll be right about having the destined child as MY jinchuuriki!" **Kurama gloated, pounding mindscape-Naruto on the back with his massive paws. Naruto grinned up at him, nodding his head.

"And, I can use that Gedo: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu to revive all of the fallen. I'm sure I have the chakra in this form, and I can use nature's chakra as well." He grinned. Things were finally looking up. Villages could e repaired with time, and with the memory of this camaraderie, peace should be maintained. "Ero-sennin... I may have done it. Your dream..." A tear came to his eye as he landed on the moon he had created. Placing his hand on the surface of the construct, he began feeling for the multitude of biju stored within. _'Ningendo... Gakido...'_

Just as he began the process of separating the seven chakras, he felt a tug on his existence. '_Not strong enough for Obito's Kamui...' _He looked into the distance, spotting Madara gazing pointedly at him, Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan flaring. _'Fuck. Didn't know he could do that too. No matter...' _Then, he felt another pull. He looked immediately to his left, seeing Obito's whirling eyes staring back. _'FUCK! I let my guard down...' _

_**'Gaki, this isn't good. The opposing techniques are pulling your very existence into opposing flows. It doesn't feel like your body is being destroyed, but it does feel like something very, very bad is about to occur.' **_Naruto grimaced.

_'Any way out?' _Kurama scowled.

_**'No. But at the very least, we can recuperate and get back once the technique ends. No matter where we are, we should have some way back, especially with your hiraishin kunai all over the battlefield.' **_

Naruto mentally groaned. Hardening his eyes, he resolved to end one problem before he was sent to... wherever. Reaching out with his left hand, he grasped Obito's face. Said man's eyes widened, but he had already started his technique and could not move.

_'Ningendo...' _Naruto smirked, Obito would not survive his soul being removed. What he did not expect was the sudden influx of memories accompanying the action. _'Tou-san was his sensei...Growing up with Kakashi-sensei and this Rin girl... Hm, he was much like me. That quote... Sacrificing his life for his comrades... Is he where Kaka-sensei got his ideals?' _His azure eyes blinked at the foreign memories. _'Waking up with Madara... retaining his will... Oh Kami, Kakashi, what did you do? This man... I understand his pain, his jadedness, his will for peace. He is just like Nagato...'_

_**'Gaki... Obito...' **_Kurama saw the memories as well, and felt his host's resonance with them.

_'_The memories shocked Naruto enough that he let go, ending Ningendo's abilities prematurely. Obito thus retained his soul, though a shocked look remained upon his visage. _Still, I can't forgive you. But if it could have been different... we could have been friends. Once I return, Obito, I'll have to kill you. I wish I didn't.' _

With that thought, Naruto was pulled into the streams of space-time, into a realm not understood by any mortal. Unbeknownst to himself, Madara, Obito, or even Kurama, was that he would never return to this battlefield... He was at the mercy of the throes of time itself.

**-END-**

Well there you have it folks, I hope it wasn't too bad. Please read and review, it is very much appreciated by a burgeoning fanfic writer like myself. I will try to update in a reasonable amount of time. Sorry if this seemed rushed, prologues are hard!

Note: I have decided the main pairing, won't be obvious for a bit. Also, no harem, gotta leave some for the rest of the world, after all.

Cheers,

ST8


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